This header is on a small picture someone framed and gave to me. I am standing at a podium giving a speech and that's prominent on the banner behind me. The year was end of 2009 just after the board changed the quorum from 100 members to roughly 3500. We were just about to enter 2010. My wife and i had joined the 50th Anniversary committee; a small group of 12-15 members committed to a year long celebration of 50 years in the making. It might have been the longest year of our lives. There was no money from businesses in the community; the housing market crash affected everyone. We quickly found that out and shifted gears. We knew every dollar we generated needed to be from the community. We got $5000 checks from organizations (the Museum, Sunshine Service and i think SCHOA) to help bankroll us to buy stuff to sell. We religiously, for 14 plus months, hauled shirts, caps, mugs, bumper stickers and key chains around scraping together enough profit to put on an event every month. By years end, we all survived, came out the back end with a good time had be all (except the committee) and generated about 50k in profit. We paid back the organizations that kick started us and then donated the remainder to other organizations needing funds. Unlike the 40th Anniversary committee who generated 300k in profits. Times clearly were different from 2000 to 2010. Timing is indeed near on everything. After joining the committee close to the end of 2009 and all of 2010, i probably gave a dozen speeches. That banner was always behind me. We knew we had an extraordinary past, we also believed we had a brilliant future. We knew even then, with the PIF in place, money wasn't going to be a problem. Home sales were a constant and in all likelihood would always be. How could you not have a brilliant future when over the 30 years of the PIF we would be generating 200 to 300 million dollars? Those are staggering figures, especially given everything the RCSC had been given by DEVCO was debt free. We owed no one anything and most likely, never will. In 2011, i finished my 3 year term with the Museum; two years as president. I was carefully following what was happening at the RCSC and was dismayed in the direction they were headed. By then the quorum was reduced to 1250, but the reality was we would most likely never reach it. While serving on the board, the general manager argued successfully to get rid of the City of Volunteers and to become the Original Fun City. I went in with guns blazing. It was a strategy i embraced, it was a mistake. My three years on the board were filled with angst and frustration. I literally watched the changes being made in real time and knew our direction was a 100% shift in how we were built. I could do nothing but watch. Carole and i most often voted against it. Back then they didn't care about how we voted. After our departure, everything accelerated. Boards became more pliable and willing to embrace the changes the gm wanted. Watching from afar, i choose to tune it all out. There was nothing i could do or say. The course was set and nothing was going to stop it. To one board member's credit, he managed to pass a couple of things the gm hated; recording meetings and reinstating the long range planning committee. Imagine today how little members would know if there were now video of them? The long range planning committee, while solid on its face, was all but neutered by then. When i joined in 2018, there were several really talented members serving on it, many have quit in frustration. Why recap? Because i don't think all is lost yet. This coming election is the tip of the spear. This is the first chance we have had for the minority to become the majority. I wouldn't bet money, one way or the other. In all likelihood the promises of indoor dog arenas, a dangling club house for the soft ball players, an over-priced theater, some sort of new beautiful pickleball courts at Lakeview and soon to be fixed technology are all coming to your neighborhood soon. The question you have to ask yourself, will they get it done, or are they just more empty promises? Why would new board members who run based on listening and hearing the members, be less inclined to do the right thing?
I'm going to "guess" they are placating the dog training group. That facility will possibly languish like the theater. And, where are we with technology? I realize RCSC is a big operation and I've wondered before: do they really have enough people in the right places to manage these big projects and all of these facilities? Unless there are major changes with the election and a shift in how the Board develops and implements budgets, sets its priorities, makes sure policies and procedures are adhered to, and especially make people accountable, sadly, nothing will change. And, it also won't change overnight, even with new Board members. I know some people don't like the longer Board terms, but it takes time to learn and understand all of the complexities of nonprofit Board responsibilities, especially if there is no training for members. I'm not opposed to the longer terms, if there is a legitimate and transparent way to remove an ineffective Board member. And I totally agree...this "retreading" former members is a bad precedent. I've witnessed in other organizations the problems this creates. There are thousands of residents in SC; this habit should cease. The good news is, it feels like people are paying attention. I hope it's true.
People are paying attention, and well they should Linda. After what happened to Karen (when she was fired) and after the debacle at last year's members' meeting where a quorum was met (1250) but no vote was allowed, many have come to understand the shortcomings of an organization failing to care what the members think. It never used to be that way, but fearing the members is the new normal. I would like to think six years terms would be value added. Members well versed in our governance should better serve us than the 3 year musical chairs game. Unfortunately, the former gm instilled in the cadre of "forever board members" an ideology their primary function was fealty to the RCSC and the general manager. Accountability always suffers when loyalty is the key ingredient in governance. As far as the dog club getting their arena, i hope none of those who showed up hold their breath waiting. I didn't see the article, but my wife told me she read one where the dog owners were excited by the prospect of finally being put on the PIF budget. It ended by acknowledging it may be as far out as 10 years, and may in fact never happen. One of the things the membership should demand is baseline honesty. I know it's election time and dangling the carrot is the go-to tool, but that does nothing to build trust in a relationship that should be built on honesty; not empty promises.
